Today we are featuring Chey Ferris, a veteran of the sewing community and previous admin to So Sew English.
How long have you been sewing?
I’ve been sewing since I was maybe 8 years old, but I only got into knits in 2013 and that was a whole new ball game.
What inspired you to start sewing?
My mom. She used to make a lot of my clothes when I was a kid, then I asked her to stop because it wasn’t “cool” (I’m sorry, mom!!). Then I wanted to learn how to make clothes for my Barbie’s and X-Men dolls and those were the first projects I ever made. My mom had gotten back into quilting and when I was about 12 I asked her to teach me too. It was my daughter that inspired me to get into knits- I was in a few sewing groups and saw so many cute outfits on little girls and took the dive into the rabbit hole of knits.
What was your biggest sewing mistake?
Biggest sewing mistake... I don’t know if I’d count them as “big” but I still make silly mistakes all the time, especially if I’m really into whatever Netflix show I have on in the background. Stuff like putting on a hood backwards, cuffs inside out, that kind of thing. Every now and then I’ll mess up an entire project- you know, those ones where everything seems to go wrong and you’ve seam ripped at least 3 times and you lose a piece you swore you cut out and then it just isn’t right? I have definitely had those projects that I just throw out and start over another day.
Current favorite pattern?
My current favorite pattern is hard! It depends on what I’m needing... for a basic, comfy shirt I’m loving Pattern Emporium’s Be You Tee. Oh, and their Wanderlust dress is flattering on every body type. Cardigan or shorts- I love Sonia Estep Patterns. For hoodies and joggers- my go to is New Horizons and they have a few different hoodies I love. For athletic wear and swim suits- GreenStyle has so many I love. And that’s just my mood today! I rotate through so many favorites.
Current trend you love in fashion and want to copy?
Hmm. Right now my go to is shorts, a tank, and a kimono style cardigan made in a chiffon or light woven. A little while ago I was dying for a romper, but with an open skirt overlay and Sonia Estep totally delivered on that one with the Hollywood pattern.
Favorite print from So Sew English?
Favorite print? Can I just say all florals? I love so many of them. And solids! I love solids. And camo! In all the colors. This isn’t helping, is it?
Something that still challenges you.
BUTTONHOLES. Omg. I dread buttonholes. Give me a zipper, grommet, anything but buttonholes. I mean, I do them, because sometimes the end result is just so worth it. And I learned some tricks recently through the recent blog post here though!
A tip/trick you picked up/came up with.
I certainly didn’t come up with it but Wonder Tape! All. The. Wonder. Tape. Especially when it comes to installing zippers and making sure wovens don’t slip and v-necks. It comes in handy for so much.
If you had to choose between a favorite tool, which would it be?
Aside from my actual machines... Wonder Clips. I used pins for so long and would have issues with tiny holes later on. It took a bit before I figured out it was because of my pins. Clips hold everything together just as well, if not better because they don’t slip out of your fabric if you shift it just right. They’re also easier to find on the floor if you drop one (yep, I’ve stepped on far too many pins and found them the hard way).
Favorite fabric base and a fabric base you’d like to try more.
My favorite fabric base ever is ITY, so I use that one a lot. One I want to work with more is wovens. I’ve quilted a bit so I get wovens but apparel wovens can be a bit more slippery than quilting cotton. They’re less forgiving then knits so I put off working with them, knowing that I’ll have to pay just a little more attention. But I’ve found that nearly all the ready to wear tops I love are woven ones!